Matt Damon on Edward Snowden | Video

Matt Damon Talks Civil Liberties, Says Snowden Did a "Great Thing"

Matt Damon recently weighed in on Edward Snowden's leaking of NSA documents, praising the former NSA contractor for doing a "great thing." During an interview with the BBC Arabic TV show Alternate Cinema, which you can watch above, Matt said, "If we're going to trade our civil liberties for our security, then that should be a decision that we collectively make. It shouldn't be made for us. The question is how to keep ourselves safe and hang on to our civil liberties, and to what degree do we have to sacrifice — or are we willing to sacrifice — those liberties for our security? That's something everyone needs to talk about." Obviously the US government does not agree with Matt, as it's been trying to get Snowden back from Russia to be prosecuted for espionage.

It's not the first time Matt's opened up about politics recently. Earlier this month, Matt mentioned his "breakup" with President Obama, revealing that he no longer supports some of the president's policies. During a junket interview for Elysium, the star said, "There are a lot of things that I really question, you know: the legality of the drone strikes, and these NSA revelations. Jimmy Carter came out and said we don't live in a democracy. That's a little intense when an ex-president says that. So, he's got some explaining to do, particularly for a constitutional law professor."